ne day strikes from ov 5 over tachos
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MIDLANDS lorry drivers are set to begin a campaign of y strikes aimed at demonstrating the opposition of the rt and General Workers Union to the introduction of the hiti ph.
e strikes were the result eeting on Sunday of the road transport cornial group which has mended to its regions they go ahead with the — but it is not an inon.
pite that, West Midlands rs' leaders greeted the with delight and have to stage the first strike ovember 5. They were g shop stewards from all Britain who demonwith placards while the ng was going on. strike recommendation n all drivers — and not e hire and reward sector take part in the strikes rtion militants see the ility of a repetition of last winter's crippling action if the campaign goes on.
Already news of the strikes has been greeted with a statement which was near to dismay by Transport Minister Norman Fowler who said that the position of this Government was precisely the same as that of the last one. "We have no option but to accept the decision of the European Court," he said.
"To strike even before the consultations have ended, let alone before Parliament has considered the issues, is no way to conduct affairs," said Mr Fowler, He added: "The Transport and General Workers Union should remember that we are at this moment asking France to comply with a European Court decision — we cannot argue that France should observe the Court's ruling yet take a different view when it comes to their ruling on tachographs."
And the Freight Transport has agreed that the actions of the union are "to be regretted" and a spokesman said that while the FTA was against the requirement to use the instrument the association recognised that the court ruling had to be obeyed.
The Road Haulage Association said that it too had pressed for the instrument to be used on a voluntary basis and it also regretted the action.